Big Win Soccer is part card collecting, part soccer management. It’s certainly addictive, but its heavy focus on money sometimes spoils the show.

I’m sure many of us have sat at our television screens, yelling at the manager of the local sports team as they crash to yet another defeat. How hard can it be to win, right? Well, Big Win Soccer lets the player find out.

At the very start the player is asked to create and name a soccer team. Then they pick a pack of cards, inside which will be a number of soccer players with various stats. These players represent the starting line-up, and can be customized in terms of looks and name. The first customization is free, with all subsequent ones cost 10 gold coins.

The player can, assuming they have won enough gold coins, purchase more card packs at any time, bolstering their squad with new additions. There are several packs, and they all cost a different amount depending on their contents. Bronze packs will contain average players, while gold will give the player cards of a much higher calibre.

Furthermore each pack will contain a couple of random “Impact Cards”, which are one use cards that grant the player’s team boosted stats in certain areas. When the player starts a soccer match, they will be paired up with a random person online.

The match can either be watched using a top down viewpoint, or the player can skip straight to the results. Winning will build the player’s fan base, earning more gold coins. Compete in enough matches and the player’s team will be placed in a league table.

Unfortunately players will find themselves using up gold coins rather quickly. Card packs, injured players; it all adds up. The game also restricts how long it can be played, as after 30 minutes or so the team will be “out of energy” and need to rest for another 30 minutes. Of course, this can be skipped if you’re willing to pay.

Big Win Soccer is certainly a compelling experience. The card collection aspect is very clever indeed, but it’s just a shame everything is so expensive.

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iPhone Screenshots

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iPad Screenshots

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